Cup Holder

ABSTRACT

A holder for holding one or more objects that may include a housing; and a grasping mechanism comprising a plurality of arms, each arm including a post anchored in the housing, a panel pivotally coupled to the post, and a spring operable to bias the arm in a grasping direction, thereby providing a plurality of panels biased by a plurality of respective springs.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates in general to devices for providing userconvenience in an automobile console and more particularly to a devicefor holding user items in a automobile console.

Automobile consoles provide various conveniences for both drivers andpassengers. Such conveniences may include coin dispensers, radios,directional guides, food trays, and holders for drink containers such ascup holders. Cup holders provide the basic benefit of being able tosecurely maintain a cup or other beverage container in an uprightorientation to avoid spillage and/or movement of the container duringmovement, acceleration, and deceleration of the automobile.

Existing cup holders generally provide an opening of fixed diameter thata beverage container can be inserted into. The beverage containergenerally receives vertical support from a base surfaces located asuitable distance below the fixed-diameter opening. Some beveragecontainers have a tapered shape, thereby enabling the container to beinserted successfully through openings having a range of fixeddiameters. In other cases, beverage containers such as those commonlyprovided by fast food vendors may have a compliant structure, enablingthe sides of the container to deflect as needed to conform to thediameter of the available opening once the container is inserted farenough for the base of the container to the reach the base surface ofthe cup holder.

However, various beverage containers may have dimensions that do notmatch those of the prior art console cup holder. Moreover, suchcontainers may also not have the flexibility needed to adapt to a cupholder having dimensions differing from those of the container. Rigidplastic cups, ceramic coffee cups, thermoses among other containers areamong the containers that may not fit existing automobile console cupholders. Thus, such containers may have to stored elsewhere or heldmanually until emptied of all fluids therein, which is inconvenient.

Moreover, existing cup holders usually have a top surface that includesan orifice that is open to the ambient environment when no cup ispresent therein. Thus, dust and other debris may drift through thisorifice thereby creating a generally dirty environment in the vicinityin which a cup is later inserted. Moreover, a cup holder with an opentop may not be particularly aesthetically pleasing.

Accordingly, there is a need in the art for a cup holder that canaccommodate a variety of cup sizes, that inhibits the flow of dust anddebris into the cup storage area within the cup holder, and/or that isaesthetically pleasing.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

According to one aspect, the invention provides a holder for holding oneor more objects that may include a housing; a grasping mechanismcomprising a plurality of arms, each arm including a post anchored inthe housing and a panel pivotally coupled to the post and springinglybiased in a grasping direction of the grasping mechanism, wherein shapesof the interior sides of the panels define an opening along an uppersurface of the grasping mechanism; and a cover coupled to at least onepanel and springingly biased so as to occupy the opening in the uppersurface of the grasping mechanism.

According to another aspect, the invention provides a holder for holdingone or more objects, that may include a housing; and a graspingmechanism including a plurality of arms, each arm including a postanchored in the housing, a panel pivotally coupled to the post, and aspring operable to bias the arm in a grasping direction, therebyproviding a plurality of panels biased by a plurality of respectivesprings.

Other aspects, features, advantages, etc. will become apparent to oneskilled in the art when the description of the preferred embodiments ofthe invention herein is taken in conjunction with the accompanyingdrawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

For the purposes of illustrating the various aspects of the invention,there are shown in the drawings forms that are presently preferred, itbeing understood, however, that the invention is not limited to theprecise arrangements and instrumentalities shown.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup holder including a graspingmechanism in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a grasping mechanism with a graspingposition close to a fully closed state, in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a grasping mechanism in an open state,in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of a flap coupled to a pivotable arm,rotating between two possible positions, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic view of a flap coupled to a spring in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the flap of FIG. 5 coupled to a panelwith a hinge in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a plan view of the panel of FIG. 6 having a flange shownabutting against the internal wall of the housing, in accordance with anembodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a drink container being inserted intothe cup holder of FIG. 1, in accordance with one or more embodiments ofthe present invention;

FIG. 8 is a perspective view of the cup holder of FIG. 1 with a drinkcontainer located therein, in accordance with an embodiment of thepresent invention; and

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of the cup holder of FIG. 1 incorporatedwithin an enclosure in accordance with one or more embodiments of thepresent invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

In the following description, for purposes of explanation, specificnumbers, materials and configurations are set forth in order to providea thorough understanding of the invention. It will be apparent, however,to one having ordinary skill in the art that the invention may bepracticed without these specific details. In some instances, well-knownfeatures may be omitted or simplified so as not to obscure the presentinvention. Furthermore, reference in the specification to phrases suchas “one embodiment” or “an embodiment” means that a particular feature,structure or characteristic described in connection with the embodimentis included in at least one embodiment of the invention. The appearancesof phrases such as “in one embodiment” or “in an embodiment” in variousplaces in the specification do not necessarily all refer to the sameembodiment.

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of a cup holder 10 including a graspingmechanism 200 in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.Cup holder 10 may include housing 100, gasping mechanism 200, and cover350. Housing 100 may include internal wall 102, internal base 104, wall106, and upper surface 110. Grasping mechanism 200 may include arms300-1, 300-2, and 300-3.

Arm 300-1 may include post 310-1, spring 312-1, panel 314-1, and flange316-1 (see FIG. 2). Arms 300-2 and 300-3 preferably include constituentparts paralleling those listed for 300-1 and are thus not described infurther detail herein. It is noted that because of the location of arm300-3 within the view of FIG. 1, post 310-3 and spring 312-3 of arm300-3 are not visible in FIG. 1.

Posts 310 may be made of any suitably rigid material including asuitable metal or plastic material. Panels 314 may be made of plastic ormetal and may be rigid or flexible depending on the needs of a givenapplication. However, other materials may be employed. Flaps 400 arepreferably made of plastic and may be rigid or flexible depending on theneeds of a given application. However, in alternative embodiments, flaps400 could be made of metal, rubber, or other materials.

Spring 312-1 is preferably a suitable rotary spring configured tospringingly bias panel 314-1 in a grasping direction, which in the viewof FIG. 1 is the clockwise angular direction. Springs 312-2 and 312-3are preferably configured in much the same way as spring 312-1. In otherembodiments, other spring biasing arrangements could be employed,including using linear springs in place of rotary springs.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, grasping mechanism 200 includes threesimilarly constituted arms 300. However, in other embodiments graspingmechanism 200 could include fewer or more than three arms 300.

Cover 350 may include flaps 400-1, 400-2, and 400-3. In this embodiment,cover 200 includes one flap 400 coupled to each panel 314. However, theinvention is not limited to this arrangement. In other embodiments,cover 350 could be a single part or could include a plurality of flaps,or other parts, from two up to any desired number. In still otherembodiments, cover 350 may be omitted from cup holder 10. Greater detailregarding the connection of flaps 400 to respective panels 314 isprovided in connection with FIGS. 4-6.

Cup holder 10 may be operable to enable cover 350 to inhibit themigration of dust and/or other debris into the interior of cup holder 10housing 100. In the embodiment of FIG. 1, flaps 400 are preferablyspring loaded and operable to deflect downward about an axis parallel tothe plane of the upper surface 110 of cup holder 10 upon being impingedon by a cup or other object being inserted into cup holder 10. However,cover 350 is not limited to the structural features of the embodiment ofFIG. 1. For instance, cover 200 could include fewer than or more thanthree parts.

In one embodiment, cover 350 could include just a single part. Toaccommodate a cup being inserted into cup holder 10, a single-partembodiment of cover 350 could be coupled to and pivotal (rotatable) withrespect to any of panels 314. Alternatively, cover 350 could beconfigured to be mobile downward from the upper surface of cup holder 10along a linear axis to accommodate a cup to be inserted into cup holder350.

Cup holder 10 is preferably operable to accommodate cups, drinkcontainers, or other objects of a wide range of diameters. FIG. 1 showsgrasping mechanism 200 at a minimum diameter setting (a fully closedposition) with panels 314 at their most inward respective positions andwith the inward edges of flaps 400 adjacent one another. Panels 314 arepreferably springingly biased toward the respective inward positionsshown in FIG. 1, by respective springs 312. Likewise, flaps 400 arepreferably springingly biased upward by respective flap springs 420(shown in FIG. 6) toward the closed position shown in FIG. 1. In the“closed” position, the plane of flaps 400 is preferably parallel to theupper surface 110 of housing 100.

Preferably, upon insertion of a cup or other object into cup holder 10,flaps 400 are operable to deflect downward and panels 314 are operableto deflect outward to accommodate the insertion of the cup or object.For the sake of illustration, an example of a cup 800 present within cupholder 10 is shown in FIGS. 7-8. In FIG. 8, flaps 400 have beendeflected downward and are therefore not visible. Panels 314 have beenrotated outward (counter-clockwise in the view of FIGS. 7-8) withrespect to the respective fully closed positions of panels 314 shown inFIG. 1.

Having discussed the general operation of cup holder 10 above,structural connections in accordance with the embodiment of FIG. 1 aredescribed in this section.

In one embodiment, cup holder 10 may be located within a vehicle andsecured to an interior surface of the vehicle, such as within a vehicleconsole. If desired, cup holder 10 could be configured to be removablyattachable to the console with hooks, a ratchet, a clamp, or othersuitable engagement mechanism. In this manner, cup holder 10 could besecured in different parts of a given vehicle, if desired, or withindifferent vehicles. In another embodiment, cup holder 10 could bepermanently affixed to the surface of a vehicle interior. In yet anotherembodiment, cup holder 10 could be used in environments other than avehicle, wherever there is a risk of spillage due to instability of acup or other drink container.

Grasping mechanism 200 preferably includes panels 314-1, 314-2, and314-3 which are coupled respectively to posts 310-1, 310-2, and 310-3,via springs 312-1, 312-2, and 312-3, respectively. Posts 310 of graspingmechanism 200 are preferably anchored within the body of housing 100. Inthis embodiment, posts 310 may be anchored within the outer housing wall106 of housing 100. However, the present invention is not limited toemploying this scheme of attachment. In an alternative embodiment,grasping mechanism 200 could be mounted directly to an interior surfaceof a vehicle, whether to the console, or other portion of a vehicleinterior.

Flap 400-1 may be coupled to panel 314-1 with a hinge 410-1 (FIGS. 4-6)and may be springingly biased toward its initial, closed position byspring 420 (FIG. 6). Flaps 400-2 and 400-3 interact in a manner similarto the above with hinges 410-2 and 410-3 respectively, and springs 420-2and 420-3 respectively. Flaps 400 and the parts associated therewith arediscussed in greater detail in connection with FIGS. 4-6.

Cup holder 10 is preferably able to accommodate a cup or, other type ofdrink container, or other object of any diameter normally used bypassengers within a vehicle. Accordingly, a suitable range of dimensionsfor the various parts of cup holder 10 may be employed.

For example, housing 100 may be about six inches tall. However, heightslower than or greater than six inches may be employed for housing 100.Grasping mechanism 200 is preferably able to grasp cups having diametersbetween about two inches and about six inches. However, in alternativeembodiments, cups, other drink containers, or other objects havingdiameters smaller than two inches or greater than six inches may begrasped by grasping mechanism 200.

In the embodiment of FIG. 1, panels 314 are preferably located at aheight just above the upper surface 110 of housing 100. Alternatively,panels 314 could be situated so that the upper surfaces of panels 314are at substantially the same height as upper surface 110 of housing100. In other embodiments, panels 314 could be located completely withinhousing 100 such that the upper surfaces of panels 314 are below (in theview of FIG. 1) the upper surface 110 of housing 100.

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a grasping mechanism 200 in a closedstate, in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 3shows the grasping mechanism 200 of FIG. 2 in an opened state. For thesake of clarity of illustration, cover 350 is omitted in FIGS. 2 and 3.

The geometry of individual panels 314 and of the grasping mechanism 200as a whole preferably provides effective part grasping function and anaesthetically pleasing symmetrical arrangement of parts.

In this embodiment, each of panels 314 includes outer, distal, and innersides, designated with letters “A”, “B”, and “C”, respectively. Thus,panel 314-1 includes sides (also referred to as “edges”) 314-1A, 314-1B,and 314C. Panel 314-2 includes sides 314-2A, 314-2B, and 314-2C. And,panel 314-3 includes sides 314-3A, 314-3B, and 314-3C. The shapes of thesides of the panels 314 preferably enable grasping mechanism 200 to openand close in a manner reminiscent of an iris of a camera lens.

In this embodiment, the “A” sides of panels 314-1, 314-2, and 314-3 formmuch of the outside perimeter of grasping mechanism 200. It may be seenthat sides 314-1A, 314-2A, and 314-3A form a substantially circularperimeter when grasping mechanism 200 is closed, as shown in FIG. 2. Theexternal perimeter departs from the circular shape shown in FIG. 2 whengrasping mechanism 200 is open, as shown in FIG. 3.

In the closed position of grasping mechanism 200 shown in FIG. 2, panelsides 314-1C, 314-2C, and 314-3C form a substantially triangular opening210. In the open position shown in FIG. 3, where panels 314 have beenrotated counter-clockwise (in the view of FIGS. 2-3) in relation to thepositions of the panels 314 in FIG. 2, the “C” sides of panels 314-1,314-2, and 314-3 form a substantially circular internal opening withingrasping mechanism 200. This circular opening preferably enables makingcontact along a large proportion of the external diameter of a drinkcontainer, such as cup 800, when grasping such a container withingrasping mechanism 200.

The grasping mechanism 200 of this embodiment is preferably alsooperable to enable the combination of the three panels 314 to appear asa single continuous surface having a center opening 210 of variablediameter. Each panel 314 preferably has a “B” side having a curvaturethat cooperates with the curvature of the “C” side of the panel in thenext most clockwise position of grasping mechanism 200. Morespecifically, the respective “B” sides have a shape substantiallymatching the respective “C” sides and preferably slideably engage therespective “C” sides as grasping mechanism 200 opens and closes. Thus,in this embodiment, panel 314-1 side 314-1B cooperates with panel 314-2side 314-2C; panel 314-2 side 314-2B cooperates with panel 314-3 side314-3C; and panel 314-3 side 314-3B cooperates with panel 314 side314-1C.

In one embodiment, the panels 314 may open and close in the manner ofthe iris of a lens, thereby providing the appearance of a single,continuous part having an internal opening of variable size while alsoproviding a large surface area for effectively grasping the externalsurface of a drink container, such as cup 800 (FIGS. 7-8).

In one embodiment, panels 314-1, 314-2, and 314-3 include flanges 316-1,316-2, and 316-3, respectively. Flanges 316 may extend below the lowersurface of the remainder of panels 314 and preferably operate asstoppers for the counter-clockwise motion of the panels 314. Thecurvature of the outer circumference of flanges 316 preferably matchesthe curvature of the internal wall 102 of housing 100. Thus, as thecounter-clockwise motion of the panels 314 progresses, the outersurfaces of flanges 316 preferably eventually engage the internal wall102 of housing 100, thereby stopping further angular motion of thepanels 314. Thus, the location of the flanges 316 on the respectivepanels 314 serves as a limiting factor on the range of motion of thepanels 314 available in response to an externally applied force.

FIG. 4 is a schematic illustration of flap assembly 450 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic viewof a flap 400 coupled to a spring 420 in accordance with an embodimentof the present invention. FIG. 6 is a perspective view of the flapassembly of FIG. 4. Because of the interrelationship of subject matterof FIGS. 4-6, the following makes reference to all of FIGS. 4-6. Sincethe following discussion may apply to any of flaps 400-1, 400-2, or400-3 (shown in FIG. 1) and associated flap assemblies 450-1, 450-2, and450-3 (not shown separately), only a single flap assembly 450 isdiscussed below.

Flap assembly 450 may include flap 400, flap hinge 410, and/or flapspring 420 (FIG. 5). Flap 400 shown in FIGS. 4-6 preferably correspondsto any of flaps 400 shown in FIG. 1.

Flap 400 may be made of rubber, plastic, or metal and preferably has athickness between about 0.1 inches and 0.3 inches. However, flaps 400thinner than 0.1 inches or thicker than 0.3 inches may be used.Moreover, materials other rubber, plastic or metal may be employed forflap 400. Flap 400 may be substantially triangularly shaped as shown inFIGS. 1, 5, and 6. The geometry of flap 400 may depart fromtriangularity in that the side of flap 400 coupled to panel 314preferably has a curvature matching the shape of side 314-1C of panel314-1. However, flap 400 is not limited to this embodiment, and may haveany desired shape. For example, flap 400 could be circular. The radialsides of flap 400 may have a length between one inch and three inches.However, flaps 400 having radial side lengths less than one inch orgreater than three inches may be employed.

In the illustrated embodiments, one flap 400 is coupled to eachrespective panel 314. However, in alternative embodiments, a single flapcould be employed for cup holder 10, regardless of the number of arms300 and/or panels 314 employed. For instance, where three arms 300 areused, and each arm 300 has a single panel 314 included therewith, asingle flap 400 could be coupled to a selected one of the panels 314 andcould have a shape and size substantially corresponding to the shape andsize of flaps 400-1, 400-2, and 400-3 combined, as shown in FIG. 1.

Flap hinge 410 may be a gooseneck hinge that is operable to remainconveniently hidden from view from the outside of cup holder 10.However, hinges having other configurations may be employed.

With reference to FIG. 5, spring 420 is preferably a rotary spring andmay be located underneath panel 314 or may be embedded within panel 314.Spring 420 is preferably operable to springingly bias panel 400 towardan orientation parallel to the upper surface of panel 314. Theleft-to-right direction in FIG. 5 corresponds to the direction headinginto the page in FIG. 4. Thus, in the embodiment shown, spring 420 is“behind” flap 400 in the view of FIG. 4 and thus not visible in FIG. 4.While spring 420 is shown to the right of flap 400 in the view of FIG.5, spring 420 is not limited to being located as shown. In otherembodiments, spring 420 could be located anywhere along the axis ofrotation 422 of flap 420. In still other embodiments, spring 420 couldbe located at a point remote from axis 422 and be connected to flap 400using an intermediate part. Moreover, other spring types, such as linearsprings, leaf springs, among others may be used in place of rotaryspring 420.

Flap assembly 450 is preferably operable to keep flap 400 in an initial,closed position 502 (FIG. 4) when no part is present within cup holder10 and when no pressure is being applied to flap 400. Likewise, aplurality of flap assemblies can maintain a plurality of respectiveflaps 400 in initial position 502 (as shown in FIG. 1). Spring 420 ispreferably a rotary spring and is preferably configured to springinglybias flap 400 toward position 502 when no external force is applied tothe upper surface of flap 400.

Upon inserting a cup or other object into cup holder 10, flap 400 ispreferably deflected away from closed position 502 to open position 504by employing an insertion force that overcomes the spring force ofspring 420. Flap 400 preferably remains in open position 504 for as longas the cup or other object is in place within cup holder 10.

Upon removal of the cup or other object from cup holder 10, spring 420preferably forces flap 400 toward closed position 502. With reference toFIG. 1, when all flaps 400 are in closed position 502, cover 350preferably provides the desirable aesthetic effect of appearing to beintegrated with the upper surfaces of panels 314, thereby forming theimpression of a single integrated upper surface of cup holder 10.Moreover, when flaps 400 are in closed position 502, cover 350 (in theembodiment of FIG. 1, the sum total of flaps 400) is preferably operableto inhibit the movement of dust and/or other debris into the interior ofcup holder 10.

Redirecting attention to FIG. 6, panel 314 may include flange 316 whichextends below the thickness of most of the surface area of panel 314.The outer circumference of flange 316 may serve as a stopper for thecounter-clockwise rotation of panel 314. More specifically, as panel 314progresses along a counter-clockwise angular path, the outercircumference of flange 316 approaches the internal wall 102 of housing100.

FIG. 6A is a plan view of the panel of FIG. 6 having a flange 316 shownabutting against the internal wall 102 of housing 100, in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. For the sake ofillustration, only one panel 314, and only a portion of the uppersurface 110 and internal wall 102 of housing 100 are shown in FIG. 6A.However, the concepts discussed in connection with FIG. 6A are readilyextendible to all panels 314 in grasping mechanism 200 and to the entireupper surface 110 of housing 100.

In FIG. 6A, panel 314 is shown rotated almost to its counter-clockwiselimit. It may be seen that the outer circumference of flange 316 isadjacent to the internal wall 102 of housing 100. Moreover, thecurvature of the outer circumference of flange 316 preferably closelymatches the curvature of the internal wall 102 of housing 100. With thisarrangement of parts, panel 314 may start from a fully closed position(shown in FIG. 1), and be forced outward by the insertion of a drinkcontainer. While rotating counter-clockwise, the flat portion of panel314 preferably moves over the top of upper surface 110 (shown in dashedlines in FIG. 6A) of housing 100, thereby enabling the expansion of theopening 210 (FIG. 2) at the center of grasping mechanism 200. Thisoutward movement of panel 314 may continue until the outer circumferenceof flange 316 contacts internal wall 102 of housing 100, at which pointinternal wall 102 operates to block further outward motion of panel 314.

FIG. 7 is a perspective view of a drink container 800 being insertedinto cup holder 10 in accordance with an embodiment of the presentinvention. Although drink container 800 may be any type of container,for the purpose of the following discussion, drink container is referredto as a cup 800.

Cup 800 may be placed within cup holder 10 by first inserting cup 800along the longitudinal axis of housing 100 and deflecting flaps 400(FIG. 1) downward. Cup 800 may be moved outward against one or more ofpanels 314 to provide an opening wide enough to accommodate the fulldiameter of cup 800. FIG. 7 shows an initial deflection of panels 314which operates to rotate panels 314 counter-clockwise about respectiveposts 310.

FIG. 8 shows cup 800 fully inserted into cup holder 10 in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention. It may be seen that theinsertion of cup 800 into cup holder 10 has deflected panels 314 to asignificant extent with respect the respective positions of panels 314shown in FIG. 1. Moreover, the insertion of cup 800 has deflected flaps400 downward toward the interior of housing 100 such that flaps 400 arenot visible in FIG. 8.

Once cup 800 is fully inserted into cup holder 10, a balance of theforces from springs 312-1, 312-2, and 312-3 preferably operate tosubstantially center cup 800 with respect to housing 100 of cup holder10. Once fully inserted into cup holder 10, the bottom of cup 800 ispreferably securely positioned against the base 104 of housing 100.

FIG. 9 is a perspective view of cup holder package 5 in accordance withone or more embodiments of the present invention. Cup holder package 5may include cup holder 10, enclosure box 20, and/or annular cover 12.

Cup holder 10 may be incorporated within enclosure box 20 to provide anaesthetically pleasing appearance and/or to more effectively integratecup holder 10 and box 20 into the console of a vehicle.

Annular cover 12 may be located above the upper surface 110 of housing10 and thereby conceal posts 310 of the respective arm assemblies 300, aportion of the panels 314, and the upper surface 100 of housing 10.Means for attachment to housing 100 and openings disposed along thesides of cover 12 may be provided for enabling panels 314 to rotateoutward from the closed positions thereof shown in FIG. 9 withoutdeflecting or otherwise disturbing cover 12.

Although the invention herein has been described with reference toparticular embodiments, it is to be understood that these embodimentsare merely illustrative of the principles and applications of thepresent invention. It is therefore to be understood that numerousmodifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments and that otherarrangements may be devised without departing from the spirit and scopeof the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

1. A holder for holding one or more objects, comprising: a housing; agrasping mechanism comprising a plurality of arms, each arm including apost anchored in the housing and a panel pivotally coupled to the postand springingly biased in a grasping direction of the graspingmechanism, wherein shapes of the interior sides of the panels define anopening along an upper surface of the grasping mechanism; and a covercoupled to at least one said panel and springingly biased so as tooccupy the opening in the upper surface of the grasping mechanism. 2.The holder of claim 1 wherein the object is a drink container.
 3. Theholder of claim 1 wherein the cover has a shape that substantiallymatches a shape of the opening of the grasping mechanism when thegrasping mechanism is in a fully closed position.
 4. The holder of claim1 wherein the shapes of the panels and the shape of the cover cooperateto form the impression of a single integrated top surface of the holderwhen the grasping mechanism is in the fully closed position.
 5. Theholder of claim 1 wherein the cover is configured to be deflected awayfrom a plane of the upper surface of the grasping mechanism upon aninsertion of an object into the holder through the opening in thegrasping mechanism.
 6. The holder of claim 1 wherein the covercomprises: a plurality of flaps pivotally coupled to respective ones ofthe panels, wherein said flaps are springingly biased so as to occupyrespective portions of the opening in the upper surface of the graspingmechanism when no object is present in the grasping mechanism.
 7. Theholder of claim 6 wherein the plurality of flaps are coupled to therespective panels through respective hinges and springingly biasedtoward the opening in the upper surface of the grasping mechanism byrespective rotary springs anchored in respective ones of the panels. 8.The holder of claim 6 wherein the flaps are operable to deflect awayfrom the plane of the opening in the upper surface of the graspingmechanism in response to an insertion of an object into the holder. 9.The holder of claim 1 wherein the panels are substantially equallyangularly distributed around an upper surface of the housing.
 10. Theholder of claim 1 wherein the panels are shaped such that the panelsprovide a substantially continuous annular surface on an upper face ofthe holder.
 11. The holder of claim 1 wherein a balance of forces amongsprings springingly biasing the respective panels is operable tosubstantially center an object present between the panels within theholder.
 12. A holder for holding one or more objects, comprising: ahousing; at least one post anchored in proximity to the housing; a panelpivotally coupled to the post and springingly biased in a directionsuitable for grasping an object; and a flap located in proximity to thepanel and springingly biased so as to be parallel to a plane of an uppersurface of the holder when the holder is empty.
 13. The holder of claim12 wherein the post is anchored in the housing and has an axis ofrotation substantially perpendicular to the plane of the upper surfaceof the holder.
 14. The holder of claim 12 wherein the flap and the panelcombine to provide an appearance of a single integrated surface when noobject is present in the holder.
 15. The holder of claim 12 wherein theflap is configured to deflect away from parallelism with the plane ofthe upper surface of the holder in response to an insertion of theobject into the holder.
 16. The holder of claim 12 wherein the flap ispivotally coupled to the panel.
 17. The hold of claim 16 wherein theflap is configured to be rotated away from parallelism with the plane ofthe upper surface of the holder upon inserting the object into theholder.
 18. A holder for holding one or more objects, comprising: ahousing; and a grasping mechanism comprising a plurality of arms, eachsaid arm including a post anchored in the housing, a panel pivotallycoupled to the post, and a spring operable to bias the arm in a graspingdirection, thereby providing a plurality of panels biased by a pluralityof respective springs.
 19. The holder of claim 18 wherein each saidpanel is moveable independently of others of said panels.
 20. The holderof claim 18 wherein each said panel includes at least an inner edge, anouter edge, and a distal edge, wherein a succession of the panels isdistributed over an upper surface of the housing, and wherein each saidpanel includes: a) a distal edge having a curvature substantiallymatching a curvature of, and slidable with respect to, the inner edge ofa next panel in the succession of panels along a first direction, and b)an inner edge having a curvature substantially matching a curvature of,and slidable with respect to, the distal edge of a preceding panel inthe succession of panels along said first direction.
 21. The holder ofclaim 20 wherein the inner edges of the panels collectively form avariable-diameter internal opening of the grasping mechanism.
 22. Theholder of claim 21 wherein the internal opening has an internal surfacesuitable for grasping an object located within the holder.
 23. Theholder of claim 20 wherein the matching curvatures of the respectivedistal panel edges and inner panel edges are operable to cause theplurality of panels to appear as a single part having an internalopening of variable diameter.